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| The basement bar at 10-01 Food&Drink |
Broad Ripple Village continues its quest for approachable fine dining with 10-01, named for it's street number on Broad Ripple Avenue. Seeing the "coming soon" signs while their perfect-for-people-watching deck overlooking the avenue was being constructed, I've been licking my chops for a new foodie haunt in my hood.
Tonight Jeff and I decided to give it a whirl. Faced with a decision at the split level entry (downstairs-bar, upstairs-dining), we chose to go to the basement and feel out the newest bar scene in town.
Dark and modern, the basement bar already had a little crowd at 6pm (interesting...). The cocktail list looked fantastic. We ordered a 10-01 (Prosecco, St. Germain, fresh raspberries) and a Cucumber Fizz (Square One Cucumber Vodka, St. Germain, Soda, Lemon). We were in a St. Germain kind of mood. Then again, when aren't we in a St. Germain kind of mood? That special elderberry liquor has a special place in my heart and deserves it own blog post sometime soon. The cocktails were delicious (the 10-01 was a little on the sweet side for me, but tasty).
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| Cucumber Fizz at 10-01 |
We ordered the Warm Spinach Salad, the Petite Wedge, the Clam & Corn Fritters and the Corn Dog (Jeff had to have it). The salads were both excellent! The spinach salad had a warm applewood-smoked bacon dressing with balsamic and rosemary. It was such a complex flavor that I asked the server to find out what else was in there (surely it couldn't be that simple!). The goat cheese fritter was a nice component, as well as the shockingly chilled roasted tomato. The salad was a thrill of warm and cold, salty and sweet, smoky and tart. Jeff was overjoyed with his deconstructed wedge: crispy local bacon, cucumbers, Maytag bleu, tomatoes, and a deliciously creamy dressing.
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| Warm Spinach Salad at 10-01 |
We were so full from our enormous salads that we really didn't need any more food. Regardless, my fritters were delicious. They were served with sauces on the side (my request): a Sriracha and a spicy lavender butter sauce that was out of this world. The corn dog came with an herb-infused ketchup that was delicious. The dog (homemade from local beef) was good, but Jeff thought the breading was heavy and mealy (I think all corn dogs are like that, but whatever... it's a corn dog, for goodness sake).
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| Corn & Clam Fritters at 10-01 |
We bellied up to the bar, and the bartenders (Cory and Kelly), were awesome. They let me taste wine (the $6.50 Lucky Star California Pinot Noir wasn't too bad) until I opted for the $7.50 Rodney Strong Merlot. They went out of their way to make our experience enjoyable while being extremely professional. Kelly really did ask the chef about the warm bacon vinaigrette for me (I still think there had to be something else in that to give it such depth of flavor!).
Half-way through our meal, we realized it was inevitable: we would be regulars. This place was simply too cool not to frequent. I can't wait to eat upstairs next time and get the full dining experience, though my hunch is that we will always be "basement bar" type of people. A note on the pricing- you can do anything from appetizers, salads and sandwiches for $7-$11 or entrees up to $30. The wine list was well-priced, but the cocktails were a little steep.
I give 10-01 4/5 for great food, excellent service, and a very cool ambiance that Broad Ripple Village so desperately needs in its sea of microbreweries and sports bars. Cheers!
